Macanudo Estate Reserve No. 3 (7 x 52)

Video review HERE.

(Description provided by General Cigar)

For the third and final Estate Reserve release, Macanudo has partnered with the award-winning Flint Knoll winery in Napa Valley to craft a cigar with tobacco aged in Cabernet barrels. 

Macanudo has aged tobacco in the same French Oak barrels as Flint Knoll’s 2021 Royal Appointment Cabernet Sauvignon, allowing both the wine and the barrel to influence the cigar's flavor.  

Flint Knoll Winery is a boutique vineyard specializing in single-vineyard mountain Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. Using solely French Oak barrels from French cooperages, Flint Knoll is a small but highly respected vineyard in the world of fine wines.  

Steve Abbot, Director of Marketing, said, "Macanudo’s Estate Reserve offerings are the result of a shared appreciation for two similar crafts. For Estate Reserve No. 3, we were lucky to have great tobaccos and wine come together to create an exceptional cigar.” 

Aaron Michaelis, founder of Flint Knoll Winery, said, “2021 was a special year for Napa Valley wine. A lack of rain and lower temperatures brought us an ultra-rare vintage, and you can taste the subtleties in the tobaccos aged in the same barrels.”  

Medium-bodied, Macanudo Estate Reserve No. 3’s five-country blend is smooth, creamy and elegant. While smoking, the barrel finishing is evident in vanilla, nuts and cedar notes. It’s a nuanced cigar with nods to Napa wine that can’t be missed.  

Macanudo Estate Reserve No. 3 is hand-rolled at General Cigar’s Dominican factory. Macanudo Estate Reserve Release No. 3 comes in a 10-count box at a Churchill (7 X 52) vitola. MSRP is $19.99 per cigar. 

Blend:

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut 

Binder: US Broadleaf 

Filler: Brazilian, Dominican, Nicaraguan, Dominican 

The cigar is light brown and has an average feel in the hand.

The test draw after cutting the cap was ok but not great. It was a little firm. The initial flavors at light up were a sweet peach, light citrus peel, brown sugar, cinnamon, earthiness, and leather. There was black pepper rated at 7 1/2. Nice start.

At the first third (31 minutes) the notes aren't much different. There's a little more citrus peel coming through. But there is still nice peach, brown sugar, and cinnamon. And there is still earthiness and leather and now some black coffee. The cigar is medium bodied. The finish is leathery black coffee with average lingering black pepper. The cigar is rather light in body. I rated the first third 93.

As I moved through the second third (1 hour 3 minutes) the cigar got much earthier. And the black coffee rose also. The citrus peel is trying to fight for the lead front end note. There is still peach, brown sugar, and cinnamon but they are a little subdued. The cigar is still medium bodied. The finish is leathery black coffee with very good lingering black pepper. I rated the second third 90.

The cigar lasted 1 hour 43 minutes. It made a nice bounce back. The nice peach notes returned along with the brown sugar, cinnamon, and light citrus peel. The earthiness, black coffee, and leather dropped back with the leather being quite light at this point. The cigar is medium to full bodied. The finish is earthy, leathery black coffee with very good lingering black pepper. I rated the final third 93. This is a pretty good cigar with the middle section holding it back somewhat.

Overall Score: 92